02/10/2025
I congratulate 57 legal practitioners that were sworn in as Senior Advocate of Nigeria .
To become a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), candidates must meet specific criteria. Here are the requirements:
Eligibility Criteria
- Citizenship: The applicant must be a citizen of Nigeria.
- Years of Experience: A minimum of 10 years of post-call legal experience is required.
- Good Character: The applicant must be of good character and impeccable integrity.
- Active Practice: The applicant must be in full-time legal practice and have been actively practicing for at least 10 years preceding the application date.
Application Requirements
- Payment of Fees: A non-refundable registration fee of N1m must be paid.
- Practicing Fee and Membership Dues: Evidence of payment of practicing fees and membership dues to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for at least 10 consecutive years preceding the application year.
- Income Tax Payment: Evidence of payment of income tax for at least 3 years preceding the application date.
- Pro Bono Work: Evidence of pro bono cases handled as a form of community service.
Professional Requirements
- Court Appearances: The applicant must have appeared in significant cases before superior courts, including:
- High Court: At least 20 judgments from the High Court.
- Court of Appeal: 6 judgments from the Court of Appeal.
- Supreme Court: 3 judgments from the Supreme Court (or 6 judgments if the applicant only appeared before the Supreme Court).
- References: A list of 10 judges of superior courts before whom the applicant has appeared, with 3 selected to provide testimonial statements.
- Colleagues' References: A list of colleagues with whom the applicant has handled cases, with 3 selected to provide testimonial statements.
Additional Requirements
- Law Office Inspection: The applicant's law firm will be inspected to assess the size and quality of the library, staff competence, and other facilities.
- Academic Qualifications: For academics, at least 20 copies of outstanding legal publications are required.